Starlink

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX providing satellite Internet access to most of the Earth using a constellation that will eventually comprise over 40,000 small LEO satellites.

Between February 2018 and 2022, SpaceX launched 2,091 satellites. Early designs had satellites in altitudes of around 1,100-1,300 km but approval was gained in mid-2021 to lower to a 550-km LEO orbit at 53° inclination with further satellites launched into the lower orbit of around 345 km. The initial 1,584 satellites were launched in 72 orbital planes with 22 satellites in each. On 1 December 2022, the FCC approved SpaceX to launch the initial 7,500 satellites for its Gen2 constellation, in three orbital shells, at 525, 530, and 535 km. Overall, SpaceX had requested approval for as many as 29,988 Gen2 satellites, with approximately 10,000 in the 525-535 km altitude shells, plus ~20,000 in 340-360 km shells and nearly 500 in 604-614-km shells. By 30 October 2025, 8,811 satellites were in orbit.

In January 2026 the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has formally approved a major expansion of SpaceX's second-generation Starlink satellite constellation, authorizing the company to deploy, launch, and operate an additional 7,500 second-generation (Gen2) Starlink satellites, effectively raising the total authorized Gen2 constellation to 15,000 satellites worldwide. This expansion is intended to significantly enhance global broadband capabilities, enabling high-speed, low-latency internet access, and expanded mobile connectivity, including direct-to-cell (D2C) services outside the United States along with supplemental coverage within the US.

The FCC's order permits SpaceX to upgrade the Gen2 satellites with advanced form factors and technologies, and authorizes operations across a broad range of frequency bands, including Ku-, Ka-, V-, E-, and W-bands to support both FSS and MSS.

As part of the decision, the FCC waived a number of legacy technical rules that previously restricted overlapping beam coverage, which will allow SpaceX to increase network capacity and flexibility.

New orbital shells at low Earth orbit altitudes ranging from approximately 340 km to 485 km are now authorized, which are expected to improve coverage performance and reduce communication latency, though satellites at these altitudes will require more frequent replacement due to atmospheric drag.

The FCC's order includes deployment milestones: SpaceX must have 50% of the newly authorized satellites launched, placed in their assigned orbits, and operational by December 1, 2028, with the remainder to be launched and operational by December 1, 2031.

The FCC's approval is partial. Although SpaceX had requested authorization for nearly 30,000 additional Gen2 satellites, the FCC decided to proceed incrementally by granting only half of the proposed total at this stage, deferring action on satellites proposed for operation above about 600 km in altitude.

The Starlink service typically provides upload speeds of 10–40 Mbps and download speeds of 100–300 Mbps, although actual performance depends on location, network loading, service plan, and user terminal. Typical latency is 20–40 ms, comparable with many terrestrial broadband networks.

In September 2023, the service cost $139 per month, with an up-front equipment fee of $400. In December 2022, Starlink hit a milestone of 1 million active users and then hit 2 million in September 2023 (at which time, there were 100,000 users in Australia), 3 million in May 2024, 4 million in September 2024, 6-7 million in July 2025, and had exceeded 10 million by early 2026.

Canadian airline WestJet and the US carrier Hawaiian have installed Starlink on their aircraft and, in April 2025, the FAA authorized Starlink installation by United Airlines on 300 of its Embraer 175 aircraft, with the intention of seeking approval to install Starlink on its other 16 aircraft types.

The satellites are mass-produced. In March 2020, SpaceX reported producing six satellites per day. Their mass is around 230 kg with four phased array and two parabolic antennas on each satellite, utilizing Ku-band to users. Satellites employ optical inter-satellite links and use Ka-band to connect with ground stations. At least 32 ground stations are planned in the United States.

The satellites are designed to avoid collisions autonomously based on uplinked tracking data, and are equipped with Hall thrusters to de-orbit at the end of their life.

SpaceX has attracted the ire of astronomers and has reduced the amount of sunlight reflected by Starlink satellites, making them one-twelfth as bright in visible light as they used to be. However, although RF emissions are within current regulations, they would need to be reduced by a factor of a thousand or more to avoid significant interference with radio astronomy.

The US Department of Defense has funded development of a deluxe military version of the Starlink satellite bus.